It is known that the Mexican company FOOTMEX DE MEXICO S.A. de CV. produces a commercial toe cap designed in two alternative materials, which are offered on the market as being economical and high-impact, basing its designs on two toe caps of commercial dimensions known as model 600 and 630.
Mexican utility model No. 796, granted on 13 Jul. 2000 to the company Calzado Van Vien S.A. de C.V., relates to an armored tip for protective footwear, formed by a section in the shape of a hollow semiparabolic arch of high-strength steel sheet, intended to house and protect the tip of the user's foot from forceful impacts, wherein the section itself is folded at its lower end to form a horizontal flange that spans the entire perimeter by the internal part of the tip, and the ends of the inner horizontal flange have a bridge welded to the lower face of the flange, whose purpose is to provide structural support to the armored tip, to prevent its collapsing or flattening under the impact of a force of significant magnitude.
Mexican patent number 225317, dated 4 Jan. 2005, granted to H. H. BROWN SHOE COMPANY, INC., describes a footwear and its method of manufacture. The footwear includes an upper that has a front lining with a tip part arranged along an internal surface of the upper. A relatively rigid front insole part is joined to an inner lining, the length of the front part of the insole being less than the length of the inner lining. The tip portion of the front lining is then sewn to a peripheral edge of the front insole part, the front lining and the front insole part defining a cavity to receive part of the user's foot. A steel tip is then placed basically around the tip part of the front lining.
Spanish utility model No. 1062608 relates to an ergonomical shoe, of the kind incorporating between the leather and the lining, and in the area of the toe and the heel, a rigid front reinforcement and a rear heel reinforcement, which participate both in the armoring of the leather and in the protection of the front foot from outside impacts, characterized in that it incorporates shock absorbing elements in the area of the front and rear reinforcements, adapted to the internal face of the front and rear reinforcement and situated, the same as these, between the leather and the lining, said shock absorbing elements being made of a soft, high-density material, such as a foam of urethane, polyurethane, polyethylene, EVA, latex, silicone or another similar material with adequate density and breathability for the type of footwear.
Spanish utility model No. 1062609 relates to an ergonomical footwear, of the type having between its leather and its lining, and in the area of the tip or toe cap and the heel, a rigid front reinforcement and a rear reinforcement, which participate both in the armoring of the leather and in the protection of the front foot from outside impacts, characterized in that each of these front and rear reinforcement elements has two layers of different density, specifically, an outer layer of very high density, imparting hardness and rigidity to same, and an inner layer of less density, which is softer and more comfortable and which is what will make contact with the foot via the lining of the footwear.
Spanish utility model No. 1065081 describes a reinforcement tip for safety footwear that has an arched configuration that is designed for mounting on the front part of a safety footwear used in certain industries, characterized in that it is comprised of two parts or pieces (1) and (2), the first being rigid, of arched configuration, while the second part or piece (2) is of flexible material, and is joined by injection molding to the rear part of the rigid piece (1), forming a continuity with the latter.
Spanish utility model No. 2105370 describes a tip for a safety shoe or boot, to provide a tip which is light and has sufficient strength the tip is made of a compound material comprising a thermoplastic resin (7) reinforced with fiber and at least one wire mesh (4) that has a size of 7 to 200 reticules and is included in the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin. In a preferred embodiment of said Spanish utility model, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin comprises a thermoplastic layer (1) reinforced with long fiber and it has long reinforcement fibers (5) incorporated in it, and a thermoplastic layer (2) reinforced with short fiber that has short reinforcement fibers (6) incorporated in it, and the wire mesh (4) is included in the thermoplastic layer (2) reinforced with short fiber.
The differences lie in the fact that the aforementioned models describe aspects such as the assembly system, some materials of which are composites, and protective inserts in the tip of the foot; even so, they do not define the design and development of a specific toe cap based on an anthropometric study and the parts of the foot to be protected, considering the ergonometric and functional aspects in various activities of the user, nor do they give a rule for evaluation of impact and compression results that they fulfill.
The aforementioned developments describe the use of a bridge that serves basically to anchor the toe cap properly to the construction system; this bridge does not exist in the present invention. The dimensions are not the same (width, height and internal depth). The dimensions of the toe cap of the invention are adapted to the morphology of the worker's foot, and adequate construction materials have been included so as not to take up space from the toe cap which has the necessary space dictated by the dimensions of the foot, considering the movements for the various activities of the user during the performance of his activity. The toe cap of the invention has a recess in the contour or edge of the flange, designed to accommodate a tab and create comfort, as well as improve the appearance of the footwear, and the disclosure of these documents does not show this. The design of the invention withstands impact testing of approximately 101.7 to 146.7 Joules (10.40 to 14.95 kgf-m) and compression of 11,130 to 14,710 Newtons (1135 to 1500 kgf-m), leaving a free height of approximately 11.0 mm to 14.0 mm, in the finished shoe and not only at the point of the toe cap.
The invention relates to a one-piece toe cap for safety and protection footwear, formed by a front wall with lateral walls connected to both sides and whose upper edges are joined to a concave surface and in which the lower edges are provided with a flange providing it with rigidity, anchoring, stability and a base which further minimizes the movement of the toe cap and its sinking into the surface of the sole upon sustaining an impact or compression and at the same time serving to join the toe cap to the sole.
In the case of the present invention, the safety footwear that is worn during work has a toe cap to prevent injury to the front part of the foot, by covering its five toes, from forces of sudden action, such as falling objects. The prior art was researched, without result, for a toe cap that provides coverage and protection to the five toes and that is stable, light, comfortable, and prevents injury to the five toes under a maximum impact, and is easy to manufacture. This need is only met by the toe cap of the present invention, which is made from a single piece, whose material provides resistance to impact and is stable and light. Its design incorporates a broadened end part and an edge in the lower zone, as termination of the front and lateral walls, at the same time providing rigidity to the terminal angle.
The toe cap is of a single piece, without any perforation for means of attachment, with lateral walls and continuous sheet, with a space arrangement sufficient to properly accommodate the five toes and at the same time allow them to flex freely, providing a comfort not offered by the toe caps on the market.
In the present invention, this toe cap is finished in keen edges forming a framework of original design, rigid and resistant to impact forces.
Another advantage is that, being made of a single piece, it facilitates the placement of the out covering material, which can be leather, synthetic, or textile, improving the final appearance of the footwear.
Another advantage is that the toe cap can be fabricated in a single step, and when produced on an industrial scale it provides major economic, technical, protective and hygienic advantages.
Yet another advantage, and being different from the prior art, is that it does not need grooves or bars connected in articulated fashion to secure the toe cap to the bottom sheet, thus avoiding traction forces which result in deformation of the industrial footwear and reduced protection for the foot, and becoming an unwanted risk element, to the contrary of its purpose.